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Re: Something rotten in Denmark

Posted by R. Berg on January 28, 2002

In Reply to: Something rotten in Denmark posted by Sue Cutter on January 28, 2002

: I've heard this expression all my life and never until recently wondered where it came from. What's the story behind this one?

The story is "Hamlet." Act I, Scene 4: Marcellus (an officer) says "Something is rotten in the state of Denmark," having just seen the ghost of Hamlet's father, the late king of Denmark.